Goblin

Goblins are a race of diminutive humanoids, frequently encountered in underground warrens in mountain areas. Goblins are usually portrayed with low intelligence and poor judgment, but often demonstrate a certain ingenuity and affinity for artifacts. Like elves, goblins seem to be abundant in the Multiverse, to the extent that their absence is more notable than their presence: the only planes that appear to lack native goblins are Amonkhet, Ulgrotha, Innistrad, Theros, and Kaladesh. On most planes, they are red-aligned, and they are the characteristic race for that color.[1] However, they have appeared in all five colors, notably among the boggarts of Lorwyn-Shadowmoor and as Izzet and Boros guild members on Ravnica.

The only goblins known to inhabit the five sundered planes of Alara are found on the inhospitable world of Jund. They are small, barbaric creatures that lack the whimsical side of most other goblins. In Jund's rigid pecking order/food chain, goblins are the least powerful sentient race; they are frequently preyed upon by the plane's equally barbaric humans and viashino and survive chiefly through their great numbers. They worship the majestic dragons that rule Jund's smog-choked skies and consider it an honor to be devoured by the great beasts.

Jund goblins are bestial in appearance, with rodentlike features similar to the nezumi of Kamigawa. They have small red eyes, elongated muzzles with powerful incisors, bent legs like a rat, and short tails; they are covered in short brown hair. Jund goblins wear only the skins and bones of creatures they kill.

Dominarian goblins are the most commonly-seen goblins. They are known for their tenacity in battle, low intellect, and affinity for red magic. In fact, they are one of the characteristic creatures of red magic, though some are known to be associated with other colors. [3]

Goblins live nearly anywhere on Dominaria where suitable deserts and mountains can be found. Among Argivian scholars, it was a documented fact that the further one would get from the site of the Brothers' War (on the shattered continent of Terisiare), the more feral, beast-like and generally stupid the local goblins tended to become. [4] Below are a few of the main goblin nations and subraces on Dominaria.

Goblins in Caliman have the usual green skin color and small size, but have longer noses and ears than other goblins. They use firearms and possess more advanced weapons than other goblins because of the higher levels of technology available on Caliman.

Jamuraan goblins are a fairly typical breed. Some have a certain affinity with artifacts, and are more mischievous than malicious. Jamuraan goblins tend to have very long, swept-back ears but otherwise vary widely in appearance.

The goblins of Otaria inhabit the Skirk Ridge in the southern Pardic Mountains[5], and as such are called Skirk for short. They are enthusiastically enamored with fire and explosions, often to their own detriment. They are even more reckless than most other goblins, if possible. Some goblins found their way into the Cabal as traitors or, worse, zombie slaves. The Skirk made their homes in elaborate networks of cliffside tunnels, building rickety rope bridges to navigate their environment. After the Phyrexian Invasion, they were joined by many goblin refugees from elsewhere in Dominaria seeking a new home. [6]

Otarian goblins tend to be very short and squat, with long bulbous noses and flaring bat-like ears.

Due to the influence of the Mirari, many Skirk were mutated, becoming even more ferocious and destructive. Mutant goblins grew fang-like teeth and bony claws. Many became huge, unstable hulks, while others developed innate powers of destructive magic.

Goblins were one of the plagues faced by the empires of Sarpadia. They and the Sarpadian orcs destroyed the dwarven nations of the continent. Both eventually faced the Icatians, but with less success. They were eventually wiped out by the thrulls.

Sarpadian goblins came in a very wide variety of forms, with no apparent morphological standard. They were known for their war kites, devastating grenades, and terrifying war drums.

During the time of the Thran the goblins of Shiv worked with the viashino in the Mana Rig. After the Thran Civil War, the purpose of the Mana Rig was forgotten, though both races still felt attached to the place and each saw it as their holy place. This led to frequent fights until Urza came. The goblins eventually grew to work alongside their viashino counterparts.

Shivan goblins had green skin like other goblins, and wedge-shaped ears that stuck outward from their heads. Due to their breeding by the Thran, many were highly talented artificers.

Some Shivan goblins, known as okks, were possessed of uncommonly great size and strength, yet possessed typical goblin intelligence and cowardice. It is unknown if okks were a separate species of goblin or simply mutants.

Goblins proliferated on the continent of Terisiare as far back as the time of the Thran. At one time relatively sophisticated slaves of the Thran, they made useful servants for artificers during the time of the Brothers' War, but by the advent of the Dark Age had descended into utter barbarism and posed a constant threat to the humans of the continent; aside from the despotic Church of Tal, the goblins posed the greatest threat to civilization during this period.

The Goblins of the Flarg were a major threat during the Dark Age on Terisiare, and often made war with both the humans and dwarves of the continent. They lived somewhere to the north of Giva Province, the birthplace of Jodah. Especially warlike, they were in constant strife with the other peoples. At the Battle of Pitdown, they made a surprise attack on the fighting forces of Ghed and Alsoor, which Jodah was a part of. Flarg Goblins were locked in heated battle with the Knights of Thorn and were eventually eradicated by them at the end of the Ice Age with the help of Lord Ith.

The marsh goblins lived in the swamps of Terisiare during the Dark Age, and were shunned even by other goblins for their foul practices. They were hairless, heavyset, and pale-skinned, with floppy ears and small vestigial tails, and seem to have never taken to wearing clothes. Some marsh goblins were present at the Battle of Pitdown. It is unknown if they survived into the Ice Age.

Scarwood Goblins were found on Terisiare during the Dark Age. They were larger and more powerful than other Terisian goblins (though not as large as orcs), with sickly light-green skin and large, glowing orange eyes. Found only in isolated pockets of large forests like Scarwood, some of these goblins nonetheless participated in the Battle of Pitdown. It is unknown if they survived into the Ice Age.

After the Phyrexian Invasion and Karona's cataclysm, Dominaria's environment became increasingly hostile, and the world's goblins (including the moggs, who had become naturalized inhabitants of Dominaria) became more feral than ever. Due to the acrid air in their mountain homes, the skin on most goblins' faces wore away, giving them a skull-like visage and causing catarrhs to form over their eyes, and the lack of nourishing food gave them an unhealthily bony appearance. [7] With the resolution of the Time Spiral crisis, it is possible that the goblins of Dominaria started on the road back to recovery.

The Goblins of Fiora are generally looked down upon, but some have managed to insert themselves into the structures of the High City. Most notably, fugires like Daretti managed to attend the Academy despite specieism from some members, and the goblin Grenzo managed to secure himself a position as Dungeon Keeper of Brago.

On Ixalan, goblins are native to the continent of the same name. Their curiosity drew them to the Brazen Coalition when the pirates first arrived on the Sun Empire’s shores. Though they still thrive in jungle colonies, goblins are commonly seen perched on gunwales and clambering up masts of sleek pirate ships.[8] For better or worse, many goblins are also incorrigible pranksters, and they often have a hard time determining when a prank is inappropriate, is poorly timed, or has gone too far. [9]

They - as per the pirate faction they are most seen a part of - resemble small monkeys, unlike any of the Magic: the Gathering goblins seen before, most resembling fictional gremlins/Furbies or real-life small furry mammals, rather than the more reptilian/amphibious humanoid green/red-skinned goblins that had been seen before. Uniquely, they also have long, prehensile tails.

Akki ("Little monstes") are goblins that inhabit Kamigawa's mountains. [10] They are highly territorial and obsessed with fire and mischief. Few visit Sokenzan because of their presence here, along with the ogres. A few akki joined forces with the ronin of the mountains.

Akki are short and mud-brown in color, with beady eyes, long pointed noses, four-fingered hands and three-fingered toes with long claws, short horns sticking out from their brows, and no external ears. Akki have small, wiry bodies, but their backs are protected by large turtle-like shells covered in short spikes; these shells evolved over the years as akki pranks got more and more self-destructive.

Kappa were mysterious, goblin-like, water-dwelling creatures that once had lived on Kamigawa, but have since become extinct. Little is known about them, but kappa resembled a cross between a goblin and a turtle, and probably looked similar to their relatives, the Akki. The Shell of the Last Kappa was a relic of considerable magical power, and was kept at some location in a shrine.

The dual plane of Lorwyn-Shadowmoor has a highly diverse population of goblins. Lorwyn's boggarts are the plane's only subrace, but come in a wide array of shapes and forms; Shadowmoor, on the other hand, has no fewer than five separate subraces, including the boggarts, the redcaps, the spriggans, the hobgoblins, and the stream hoppers.

Boggarts are the only goblins in the plane of Lorwyn and the most common in Shadowmoor. No two boggarts are alike: Some are fat, some thin, some have horns, some have tusks, some are green, some are purple, some have spots, some have pointed ears, some have goat-like heads, some have tails, and many combine some or all of these features or more at once. [11]

In the plane of Lorwyn, boggarts are one of the plane's eight tribes of sentient humanoids. [12] They live predominantly in the sunlit bogs and craggy hills of the idyllic plane. Boggarts are incredibly mischievous, but not evildoers. [13] Boggarts are selfish creatures driven by hedonism and the desire for self-satisfaction [14], though to keep themselves from devolving into utter anarchy the race has one universal rule: That no object or sensation shall be hoarded by an individual boggart upon pain of exile. Boggarts are highly fertile and believe in reincarnation; they have no problem casually killing fellow boggarts, since they'll be reborn in a matter of days or even hours.

Boggarts organize themselves into loose clans called warrens led by Aunties (who may be either female or male). Significant warrens include the Mudbuttons (known for their wild emotional outbursts and often fatal parties), the Stinkdrinkers (infamous thieves), the Squeaking Pies (adventuresome cooks), and the Frogtossers (considered insane even by other boggarts).

After the Great Aurora transformed Lorwyn into Shadowmoor, the boggarts changed from troublesome tricksters to animalistic marauders. [15] The boggarts of Shadowmoor are not malicious but still highly dangerous. They live to eat and will consume anything they come across, organic or not. They are little more than beasts, and their language is rudimentary at best.

Shadowmoor boggarts come together in loose packs called gangs. Known boggart gangs include the Mudbrawler, the Tattermunge, the Scuzzback, the Bloodwort, and the Boartusk. They roam Shadowmoor's mountains and forests in search of food to sate their hunger.

Boggarts wear piecemeal armor scavenged from other races, sometimes nailed to their very bodies. Like their Lorwyn counterparts they come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, but are uniformly more feral and sinister in appearance.

Also known simply as hobs, hobgoblins exist only in Shadowmoor. [16] They are more civilized than most goblins, living in hillside cottages and dressing in clean clothes in the manner of kithkin, though like most of their kind they can be very fierce if provoked. Some hobgoblins take to the skies mounted on giant cicadas.

Hobgoblins look like the goblins of most other worlds, but with yellowish skin, ruddy hair, and a well-groomed appearance.

Redcaps were among the creatures that emerged in Shadowmoor after the Great Aurora; they have no presence in Lorwyn. [17] Unlike boggarts, redcaps are actively malicious and homicidal. Their name comes from their habit of dying their caps red with the blood of their victims.

Redcaps are small in size, with pale skin, long noses, and huge eyes. They have only three digits on their hands and feet with only two toes.

Like redcaps and hobs, spriggans exist solely in Shadowmoor, not in Lorwyn. Spriggans are small creatures with yellow-orange skin and pointed ears and noses. They possess the power to grow to gigantic size. Unlike most goblins, spriggans are forest-dwellers; they are aligned with green, not red. Like boggarts, they are motivated primarily by hunger.

Little is known of stream hoppers save that they were Lorwyn boggarts that were mutated by the Great Aurora into bizarre creatures with purple skin and only one eye, one arm, and one leg. They live near streams and cascades in Shadowmoor's jagged hills and are capable of leaping great distances.

The Kyren are the ruling class in Mercadia City and have total control over the figurehead ruler, the Magistrate. They are the descendants of a group of Goblins from Dominaria during the time of the Thran who were left in Mercadia to watch over and protect the Thran council members when Rebbec and Dyfed left them there, but over time the humans became more and more decadent, while the goblins took over more of their responsibilities and sank into corruption, becoming allies with Phyrexia and Rath.

Kyren are taller, slimmer, more attractive, and intelligent (though not necessarily wiser) than other goblins. They are cowardly and often sadistic. They favor elaborate dress and subtle weapons like daggers and blowguns.

The Goblins of the Oxidda Chain, like all other creatures on Mirrodin, had patches of metal growing on their skin. Mirrodin goblins also had flat heads with swept-back, sharply-pointed ears, four-fingered hands, and three-toed feet with large claws. They seem to have had a considerable talent for artifice.[18] Goblin social structure on Mirrodin is largely chaotic, but the priesthoodhas significant power. This generally involves ranting, which goblins are still likely to ignore, but a priesthood backed up by powerful and ancient machinery gets listened to rather more. The priests mostly focus on fertility and offerings of metal, which inspire raids. They are also responsible for the rites concering the Steel Mother and the Sky Tyrant.[19]

The Krark Clan is named after its founder Krark. They are mostly outcasts among the Oxidda goblins. Krark was a goblin who, legend states, found a way into the depths of Mirrodin and found another world there. Kuldotha, the Great Furnace, was a sacred location to the Krark-Clan.

Compleated goblins in the service of Urabrask, squealstokes have gleefully seized the task of stoking the furnace fires both at Kuldotha and within the furnace layer. They frantically race about, building spiny contraptions to fan the flames. They sometimes fuel the furnace with a little too much zeal, occasionally throwing each other into the furnaces, or anything else that happens to be lying or scurrying around. If their efforts fall short, they will throw themselves into the furnace, achieving the dual purpose of feeding the fires and avoiding more painful punishment at the hands of their overlords.[20]

Moggs are amongst the largest and most savage forms of goblins. Bred for nothing but battle by the evincars of Rath, they have hulking muscular bodies, sloping foreheads, and razor-sharp teeth and claws capable of eviscerating their opponents. [21] They also have the innate ability to sniff out magic, bred into them to aid in the acquisition of the Legacy. Moggs are probably the least intelligent type of goblin, blindly following orders even if they involve near-certain death. They were used by the Stronghold as soldiers for the Phyrexian Invasion, but after the war the few surviving moggs found freedom.

Goblins proliferate on the city-plane of Ravnica, filling various functions within the guilds they populate. In the Boros Legion, they are expendable soldiers. The Izzet League uses goblins as servants and experiments. Within the Gruul Clans and Cult of Rakdos, goblins are very much like they are on most other planes: Angry and violent. Though some goblins find positions of respect within their guilds, they remain much put-upon by their neighbors, and most Ravnicans regard them as little better than beasts or simpletons.

Ravnican goblins are short and green-skinned like their Dominarian counterparts, but have large, distinctive bat-like ears and long, thin noses. They seem to organize themselves according to clans, two of which are known by name: The Izzet and the Krokt.

The goblins of the Boros Legion are treated as low-level troops. Though they are equipped with the same quality weapons and armor as their troopmates, their fellow soldiers seem to regard them as little more than trained animals.

These folk are so named because in pre-Guildpact days, their entire tribe joined the Izzet League, either because they were bought out, they lost a wager, or because they owed the Magewrights some favor or another -- the exact details are unknown. In any case, they are common servants of high-up mages of the Izzet and sometimes find lasting success within the guild. They are well-known for gambling and are quintessential members of the guild in that they love to learn on an impulse. Some Izzet goblins even become wizards themselves.

Only among the Gruul Clans, their fellow outcasts among the folk of Ravnica, do goblins find much respect. The clans of the Gruul are multiracial, and goblins can be found in any of them. Gruul goblins tend to be berserkers or shamans.

The Krokt Clan is named after Krokt, the goblin god of bad luck. They are the goblins most affiliated with the Cult of Rakdos. Krokt goblins are bloodthirsty and violent; they often dress in spike-covered armor called "kill-suits" and hurl themselves at their enemies with no thought to self-preservation.

On Tarkir, there are two distinct types of goblins, Mardu and Temur. [22][23] The Mardu goblins are dangerous, tenacious fighters. They live among the humans and orcs of the clan, but are generally ignored. In a fight, they often cling to the backs of mounted warriors, hopping from one rider to another. The Mardu goblins' fur colors and skin tones can vary.

The Temur goblins have evolved to adapt to the cold and usually have white fur, although the skin tones can vary. They run in packs and are barely sapient, eating whatever they can get their claws on. They scavenge when they can but aren't above dragging down large prey (usually with significant losses) when the opportunity arises.

A typical Zendikari goblin stands between three- and a half and five feet tall with a slender elongated build. Their arms are unusually long and spindly, making them adept at climbing. Through a diet of a mineral named Grit, their skin develops a stony texture, ranging from brownish red to moss green. The older a goblin gets, the more grey his skin becomes. Their ears are large and swept back, their eyes are red and many sport heavy bone protusions on their spines and elbows. Males have similar growths on their chin and females on their forehead.

Apart from the usual warriors[24], Zendikar goblins appear as traders, scouts and aspiring beastmasters. Known clans are the Grotag, the Lavasteps and the Tuktuk. [25][26]

The industrious Lavasteps were hit hard by the emergence of the Eldrazi and sought shelter in the deepest parts of Akoum. They live as far underground as possible, following strange magical emanations they call the "Stonesong", which are actually produced by the Eldrazi of Kozilek. Perhaps warped by these energies, these Dark-dwellers have adapted quickly to the lightless conditions and have become sightless and pale, sporting enlarged ears for echolocation. [27]

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